'Rustin' actor Colman Domingo and local producer share experiences in making the film

“Who is Bayard Rustin?” That’s a question film producer and Palm Springs resident David Permut heard for 14 years while pitching the film “Rustin." He said it became “like a mantra.”

Until recently, many people were unfamiliar with the late Bayard Rustin, a civil rights activist, pacifist and principal organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. He also helped organize the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SLCC) to boost Martin Luther King Jr.’s leadership position and national profile. But Rustin was also forced into the background roles of the movement because he was a gay man.

In November, Netflix released the film starring Colman Domingo, who will receive the Spotlight Award, Actor, for his performance in "Rustin" at the Palm Springs International Film Awards on Jan. 4 at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

But Domingo didn’t have to ask who Rustin was. As a gay man familiar with the civil rights activist's story, he was immediately interested in playing the role.

“(Rustin) was someone who inspired me for many years since I stumbled upon him at 19,” Domingo said. “I thought he was a fascinating character as a human being. There hasn’t been anyone like him since, and there never will be. When you think about a Black, queer Quaker from Westchester, Pennsylvania, who played the lute, performed on Broadway, and on top of that, was an advisor and dear friend of Dr. Martin Luther King, organized the March on Washington, you think, ‘That is a character I would love to get underneath the hood with and find out his operating systems.'"

While preparing for the role, Domingo spent time with some of the actual people portrayed in the film, such as civil rights activist Rachelle Horowitz and Rustin’s partner, Walter Naegle, who still lives in the home they shared. Domingo described the space as “still intact from when Bayard lived there.” He read part of an email he received from Horowitz a few hours before that said, “You and Bayard are so like-minded in the way you represent yourself and the way you talk about things,” which he described as “beautiful.”

“Rachelle Horowitz and I text and email each other every day. She’s been very loving and supportive of me,” Domingo said. “All of Bayard’s religious sculptures, artwork, books, records and walking sticks are still in (Rustin’s home). Walter gifted me with two of Bayard’s rings that he wore on his pinky. That’s how open they’ve been. I’ve become dear friends with them.”

Domingo also had something in common with Rustin: Both overcame speech disorders. Rustin conquered a stutter by developing what's been referred to as a "Mid-Atlantic accent," and Domingo went through speech therapy during childhood for a lisp. When describing Rustin's manner of speaking, Domingo laughed and described it as a "sloppy build of an accent" that became part of his persona.

"I know how to relate ... sound becomes a personality through the way people speak. I think in knowing this man, the thing I gathered is that he not only created that, but he was also a bit of anglophile. He loved anything British. I think he leaned towards that and was already an outlier in the world. He absolutely created that accent because it changes and wavers, it becomes a bit more to flourish, sometimes he drops the rs and sometimes adds them in."

Speaking about Colman's performance in the film, Permut described it as "an immersive experience."

"He didn't just play Rustin, he morphed into Rustin, and that's what makes it such a stellar performance," Permut said. "There are few things in life that are flawless, but his performance is simply flawless. It's captivating, mesmerizing and takes your breath away. That's why I'm blessed this movie wasn't made 14 years ago or 10 years ago. It was told at the right time and found its rightful home with Colman Domingo in the lead role."

'In a sea of noes, search for the one yes'

As a producer, Permut has been successful in bringing films based on real people with extraordinary and distinctive stories to television and the big screen. He produced films such as “The Polka King” starring Jack Black as Pennsylvania polka sensation Jan Lewan, “Hacksaw Ridge” on World War II American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss and the Paramount+ original series “Lawmen: Bass Reeves.”

In 2009, Permut was working on the set of the Lifetime network film “Prayers For Bobby” about LGBT activist Mary Griffith. One day on the set, co-producer Chris Taaffe leaned over and asked Permut a question, “Do you know who Bayard Rustin was?”

“Many people of my generation or younger generations did not know who Bayard Rustin was at the time. He told me the story and I was astounded. So, Chris and (co-producer) Daniel Sladek, who are partners in life and business, and I went out and acquired the rights to Bayard Rustin’s story from his estate,” Permut said.

There has been growing interest in Rustin since the 2010s. Guilford College announced the Bayard Rustin Center for the LGBTQA Activism, Awareness and Reconciliation in 2011. Former President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Rustin the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013, which was received by Naegle. There have since been many more recognitions and honors.

Even as Rustin received posthumous honors, the producers still received many rejections from studios — but they never gave up the search for one that would say yes.

"One of the most important elements for all of us, not only in business, but in life, is to be impervious to rejection. In a sea of noes, search for the one yes. If you believe in something, you must stay with it and have the tenacity to stay with it, in spite of all the obstacles. It applies to life as much as it does being a film producer," Permut said.

The company that said "Yes" was Higher Ground Productions, and the founders didn't have to ask "Who is Bayard Rustin?" because they already knew — it's owned by former President Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama.

"I think every movie is a miracle, regardless of how it turns out. The outcome being what we have with 'Rustin' is beyond a miracle, and it's very rewarding because so many people have said to me they've never seen a performance like this and were not familiar with the story," Permut said. "Martin Luther King was not embracing the idea initially of these people converging on Washington for this march. This was Bayard Rustin's vision as a man who studied the passive resistance of Gandhi. There's so many layers to this story, even beyond the ones depicted in the movie, and that's amazing. But I don't think anybody but Colman could have delivered what he delivered in this picture."

“Rustin” is not the first biographical film on a Black historical figure Domingo has appeared in. He’s played supporting roles such as Ralph Abernathy in the 2014 film “Selma” on Martin Luther King, Hark Turner in the 2016 historical drama “The Birth of a Nation” based on the story of Nat Turner and Cutler in the 2020 drama “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Looking back on some of these films, he feels “blessed I’ve been useful in new spaces.”

“I feel like because many things have changed when it comes to who’s green-lighting these films, producing these films and championing these voices, they’re shining these people on,” Domingo said. “We’re getting more nuanced portrayals of people, stories of unsung heroes and people are realizing they have space, places in our culture and they will be profitable as well. I think people are on it for artistic merit even if it doesn’t turn a dollar and are trying to examine who they are in film spaces, and I would say even in television as well. In the last few years, people had a real come to Jesus moment in trying to figure out who they are and what they’re doing with their platform, and that goes for film companies, production companies and artists alike.”

'I now know that I am a leader on a film set'

The other side of Domingo is the Broadway stage in plays and musicals. His 2011 performance in “The Scottsboro Boys” on Broadway received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical, and he won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical for his work in the 2014 West End shows. He also plays Albert "Mister" Johnson in the 2023 musical film adaptation of “The Color Purple,” which includes Spotlight Award, Actress recipient, Danielle Brooks.

“I think in doing theater, things get deeper and richer with a run. That’s been my experience,” Domingo said. “No performance is ever the same and there’s always something to mind from it, and I think it’s the same thing with film. You’re going from take to take, trying to go deeper, and giving different options for the director and editor to be serviceable to the film. It’s very much a director’s medium and different mindsets.”

“When it comes to stage work, it becomes such a collective. When I’m on stage that night, it’s not the experience that I have, it’s the rehearsal and the process, but then it’s all delivered by the performer and it’s more of a performance medium. We understand those are different sides of your brain you’re using and how you’re being used,” Domingo said.

Even though Domingo is receiving accolades for his performance, the role is a milestone for the 54-year-old actor — it's his first leading role.

"I will carry the leadership skills I learned on that set. Not only to lead a film, but how I made a film and I think I unlocked it," Domingo said. "I made a pact with my company above and below the line. We would lead with grace, incredible work ethic, interrogation of the script and would leave no stone unturned, but it's all a collective effort. I feel like I now know that I'm a leader on a film set and have what it takes. I don't have those questions anymore and know how to do it."

Permut attended the Palm Springs International Film Festival in 2017 when Andrew Garfield received the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor for "Hacksaw Ridge" and in 2020 in support of "Straight Up" actor, writer, producer and director James Sweeney. He will attend this year with Domingo and said "it feels great" to have local recognition at the festival.

"I'm a desert guy, have a house in Palm Springs, love the desert and I'm down there as many times as I can escape. When I get behind those mountains, that's where I do a lot of my reading. It all starts there. So many of my films have evolved from Palm Springs," Permut said.

How to watch

What: "Rustin" Talking Pictures screening at the Palm Springs International Film Festival with actor Colman Domingo

When and where: 9:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 5 at Mary Pickford is D'Place, 36-850 Pickfair St., Cathedral City

Cost: $30 (only stand-by tickets still available)

More info: psfilmfest.org

Can't make it to the Palm Springs International Film Festival to see the movie? "Rustin" is also streaming now on Netflix.

A previous version of this article spelled Domingo's name incorrectly. It has been corrected.

Desert Sun reporter Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com or on Twitter at @bblueskye.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Colman Domingo: 'Rustin inspired me for many years'